By Ifra Mahmood, staff reporter
Youtube is known for millions of videos uploaded every week. In those millions of videos there are many different types such as shopping hauls, music videos, and pranks. Some videos even reach up to hundreds and thousands of views.
One specific video, Fake Hand A** Pinch Prank by Sam Pepper, Youtuber and former star on UK Big Brother, was uploaded to his YouTube channel that has 2,386,617+ subscribers. The video clearly shows Sam Pepper going around asking young women for directions and touching them inappropriately several times even after knowing they were uncomfortable.
“The video was very disturbing because it showed that he had no respect for women,” junior Binnah Cha said.
After the video was uploaded, it got comments such as “This is disgusting” and “Sam is a pervert”. He used the word ‘prank’ as a way to go around and sexually harass girls, touching them without their consent. Comments on other social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook were on another level. Sam Pepper received a multitude of death threats.
“Sam shouldn’t have labeled the video as a prank, he took it way too far. He also joked around about sexual harassment. It makes people think that the rape accusations against him are true,” junior Marcela Abanto said.
Since the video was uploaded four women came out and filed reports against Sam Pepper for rape and assault. Girls that toured with him have also experienced sexual harassment, such as Pepper repeatedly trying to grope them.
Pepper can say that the allegations are false but one woman actually has proof because of the rape kit she had done.
At the end of the day labeling a video an ‘experiment’ or ‘prank’ does not give one consent to touch women inappropriately. Pepper did not have consent to harass the women, he only had consent to include them in the video after it was recorded.
Touching someone without consent is considered harassment and assault. It is wrong and also illegal. Pepper’s other videos are said to be very disturbing and obnoxious.
“Sam needs to be held accountable no matter what,” junior Josabeth Vinas said.
